Method and apparatus for gas abatement

ABSTRACT

Embodiments disclosed herein include a plasma source, an abatement system and a vacuum processing system for abating compounds produced in semiconductor processes. In one embodiment, a plasma source includes a dielectric tube and a coil antenna surrounding the tube. The coil antenna includes a plurality of turns, and at least one turn is shorted. Selectively shorting one or more turns of the coil antenna helps reduce the inductance of the coil antenna, allowing higher power to be supplied to the coil antenna that covers more processing volume. Higher power supplied to the coil antenna and larger processing volume lead to an improved DRE.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/147,974, filed on May 6, 2016, which claimsbenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/196,549,filed on Jul. 24, 2015. Each of aforementioned patent applications areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to semiconductorprocessing equipment. More particularly, embodiments of the presentdisclosure relate to a plasma source, an abatement system, and vacuumprocessing system for abating compounds produced in semiconductorprocesses.

Description of the Related Art

The processes used by semiconductor processing facilities produce manycompounds, such as perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), which are abated ortreated before disposal, due to regulatory requirements andenvironmental and safety concerns. Typically, a remote plasma source maybe coupled to a processing chamber to abate the compounds exiting theprocessing chamber. High density inductively coupled plasma (ICP) may beused as the remote plasma source in abatement of PFCs in some cases.

An ICP remote plasma source may include a coil antenna surrounding adielectric tube, and the coil antenna may be large enough to surroundthe entire tube in order to provide the PFCs enough residence timeinside the tube. However, a large coil antenna can be impractical sincelarge coil antennas have large inductance, which can cause the powersource for the antenna to operate in a non-optimal current-voltage area,leading to “foldback” of the output of the power source due to either acurrent or voltage limit. As a result, the destruction and removalefficiency (DRE) of PFCs in a conventional ICP remote plasma sourcetypically is around 50%. In addition, as frequency increases, a largeinductor, such as the large coil antenna, can carry high potential,causing a more pronounced stray effect (capacitively coupling instead ofinductively coupling).

Therefore, an improved plasma source and abatement system is needed forabating compounds in semiconductor processes.

SUMMARY

Embodiments disclosed herein include a plasma source, an abatementsystem and a vacuum processing system for abating compounds produced insemiconductor processes. In one embodiment, a plasma source includes adielectric tube and a coil antenna surrounding the tube. The coilantenna includes a plurality of turns, and at least one turn is shorted.Selectively shorting one or more turns of the coil antenna helps reducethe inductance of the coil antenna, allowing higher power to be suppliedto the coil antenna that covers more processing volume. Higher powersupplied to the coil antenna and larger processing volume lead to animproved DRE.

In one embodiment, a plasma source includes a dielectric tube and a coilantenna surrounding the dielectric tube. The coil antenna includes aplurality of turns, and at least one turn of the plurality of turns isshorted.

In another embodiment, an abatement system includes a power source and aplasma source. The plasma source includes a dielectric tube having aninlet and an outlet, and a coil antenna surrounding the dielectric tube.The coil antenna includes a plurality of turns, and at least one turn ofthe plurality of turns is shorted.

In another embodiment, a vacuum processing system includes a vacuumprocessing chamber and a plasma source. The plasma source includes adielectric tube having an inlet and an outlet, and a coil antennasurrounding the dielectric tube. The coil antenna includes a pluralityof turns, and at least one turn of the plurality of turns is shorted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentdisclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vacuum processing system having aplasma source, according to an embodiment described herein.

FIGS. 2A-2B are cross sectional side views of the plasma source of FIG.1, according to embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a coil antenna of the plasma source ofFIG. 1, according to an embodiment described herein.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a coil antenna of the plasma source ofFIG. 1, according to another embodiment described herein.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of oneembodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments withoutfurther recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vacuum processing system 170 havinga plasma source 100 utilized in an abatement system 193. The vacuumprocessing system 170 includes at least a vacuum processing chamber 190and the abatement system 193. The abatement system 193 includes at leastthe plasma source 100. The vacuum processing chamber 190 is generallyconfigured to perform at least one integrated circuit manufacturingprocess, such as a deposition process, an etch process, a plasmatreatment process, a preclean process, an ion implant process, or otherelectronic device manufacturing process. The process performed in thevacuum processing chamber 190 may be plasma assisted. For example, theprocess performed in the vacuum processing chamber 190 may be plasmaetch process for removing a silicon-based material.

The vacuum processing chamber 190 has a chamber exhaust port 191 coupledto the plasma source 100 of the abatement system 193 via a foreline 192.An exhaust of the plasma source 100 is coupled by an exhaust conduit 194to pumps and a facility exhaust system, schematically indicated by asingle reference numeral 196 in FIG. 1. The pumps are generally utilizedto evacuate the vacuum processing chamber 190, while the facilityexhaust generally includes scrubbers or other exhaust cleaning apparatusfor preparing the effluent of the vacuum processing chamber 190 to enterthe atmosphere.

The plasma source 100 is utilized to perform an abatement process oncompounds, such as gases and/or other materials exiting the vacuumprocessing chamber 190, so that such gases and/or other materials may beconverted into a more environmentally and/or process equipment friendlycomposition. A power source 110 may be coupled to the plasma source 100for supplying power to the plasma source 100. The power source 110 maybe a radio frequency (RF) power source and may provide RF energy at apredetermined frequency sufficient to form a plasma within the plasmasource 100 such that gases and/or other materials flowing through theplasma source 100 are treated with the plasma (e.g., at least partiallybroken down into one or more of ions, radicals, elements, or smallermolecules). The RF energy may be greater than 3 kW, such as 6 kW. Thefrequency of the RF energy may range from about 10 kHz to about 60 MHz.

In some embodiments, the abatement system 193 also includes an abatingreagent source 114. The abating reagent source 114 may be coupled to atleast one of the foreline 192 or the plasma source 100. The abatingreagent source 114 provides an abatement reagent into the plasma source100 which may be energized to assist converting the compounds exitingthe vacuum processing chamber 190 into a more environmentally and/orprocess equipment friendly composition. Examples of the abatementreagent include H₂, O₂, H₂O, and other suitable abatement reagents.

Optionally, a pressure regulating module 182 may be coupled to at leastone of the plasma source 100 or exhaust conduit 194. The pressureregulating module 182 injects a pressure regulating gas, such as Ar, N,or other suitable gas which allows the pressure within the plasma source100 to be better controlled, and thereby provide more efficientabatement performance. In one example, the pressure regulating module182 is a part of the abatement system 193. The pressure within theplasma source 100 may range from about 10 mTorr to about a few Torrs.

FIG. 2A is a cross sectional side view of the plasma source 100 of FIG.1, according to embodiments described herein. The plasma source 100includes a dielectric tube 202 having an inner volume 204 and a coilantenna 212 surrounding the dielectric tube 202 to inductively couple RFenergy into the inner volume 204 during processing to excite compoundstraveling therethrough. The dielectric tube 202 may have a conical sidewall 206 that terminates with a first straight end portion 208 and asecond straight end portion 210. The conical side wall 206 may bedisposed at an angle with respect to a central axis 201 of thedielectric tube 202 of about 1 to about 5 degrees, such as about 2degrees. The straight end portions 208, 210 facilitate coupling withconduits, such as the foreline 192 and the exhaust conduit 194, tofacilitate flow of compounds through the plasma source 100. The firststraight end portion 208 may be an inlet of the dielectric tube 202allowing compounds exiting the vacuum processing chamber 190 flowinginto the dielectric tube 202, and the second straight end portion 210may be an outlet of the dielectric tube 202 allowing treated compoundsflowing out of the dielectric tube 202. The dielectric tube 202 may befabricated from any dielectric material suitable to allow thetransmission of RF power to the inner volume 204.

The dielectric tube 202 may have any dimensions suitable to allow theflow of compounds from the foreline 192 and through the dielectric tube202 and establish the necessary residence time for treatment. Forexample, in some embodiments, the dielectric tube 202 may have a lengthof about 6 to about 15 inches. The side wall 206 of the dielectric tube202 may have a thickness suitable to provide mechanical strength andefficient RF coupling. A thicker side wall 206 will provide extendedservice lifetime, but with a lower power coupling efficiency. In someembodiments, the side wall 206 has a thickness ranging from about 0.1inches to about 0.5 inches, such as about 0.125 inches.

The coil antenna 212 may be wrapped around the side wall 206 of thedielectric tube 202, and may have the same shape as the dielectric tube202. In one embodiment, both the dielectric tube 202 and the coilantenna 212 are conical. The coil antenna 212 may include a plurality ofturns 213. In some embodiments, the coil antenna 212 may have about 5 to25 turns. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the coil antenna 212has 22 turns. In some embodiments, each turn may be disposed about 0.25inches to about 0.75 inches away from adjacent turns. The coil antenna212 may be fabricated from a hollow tube of a suitable RF and thermallyconductive material. In some embodiments, the coil antenna 212 isfabricated from electrical grade copper tubing, such as #60 tubing,although other sizes may be used. The coil antenna 212 may have one ofvarious cross-sections, such as circular, square, or flattened circular.A coolant may be provided to the hollow tube to facilitate thermalregulation, e.g., cooling, of the coil antenna 212 during processing.The coil antenna 212 may have any shape suitable for igniting andsustaining a plasma within the dielectric tube 202. The coil antenna 212may be helical, tapered, domed, or planar. One or more first terminals216 may be disposed at a first end 217 of the coil antenna 212 tofacilitate coupling RF power to the coil antenna 212. One or more secondterminals 218 may be disposed at a second end 219 of the coil antenna212 to facilitate coupling RF power to the coil antenna 212. The secondterminals 218 may be also coupled to ground. In one embodiment, thefirst terminals 216 and the second terminals 218 are connected to thepower source 110.

For a coil antenna, the inductance of the coil antenna is proportionalto the square of the number of turns the coil antenna has. In order toreduce the inductance of the coil antenna 212, one or more turns of thecoil antenna 212 may be shorted. The term “shorted” used herein isdefined as connecting portions of a coil with an electrical gradeconducting material that is not part of the coil. For example, a coilantenna having 15 turns has an inductance proportional to 15², or 225. Acoil antenna having 15 turns with the 6^(th) and 7^(th) turns connectedby an electrical grade conducting material (i.e., shorting one turn) hasan inductance proportional to 6²+8², or 100. Thus, the inductance of acoil antenna having shorted at least one turn is much less than theinductance of a coil antenna having same number of turns but without theshorted turn. Less inductance allows an increased power to be suppliedto the coil antenna, leading to an improved DRE. The DRE for coilantenna having shorted turns and working at high RF power, such as about6 kW, is above 95%. As shown in FIG. 2A, a third terminal 215 a may beconnected to the 10^(th) turn of the coil antenna 212, and a fourthterminal 215 b may be connected to the 12^(th) turn of the coil antenna212. A metal connector 221 may be connected to the third terminal 215 aand the fourth terminal 215 b in order to short two turns (first turnbetween 10^(th) and 11^(th) turns and second turn between 11^(th) and12^(th) turns). The third terminal 215 a, the fourth terminal 215 b, andthe metal connector 221 may be made of an electrical grade conductivematerial. In one embodiment, the metal connector 221 is made of copper,brass, aluminum, or other suitable metal, and has a thickness rangingfrom about 0.01 inches to about 0.2 inches, such as about 0.125 inches.In some embodiments, two adjacent turns may be connected with the metalconnector 221, and one turn (between adjacent turns) is shorted. In someembodiments, two turns with one or more turns in between may beconnected with the metal connector 221, and two or more turns areshorted. The third terminal 215 a, the fourth terminal 215 b, and themetal connector 221 are used to short one or more turns of the coilantenna 212. Other methods and devices may be used to short one or moreturns. For example, a metal member may be electrically coupled to turnsto short the turns. In one embodiment, the metal member may be welded tothe turns 213.

During processing, when an RF power is supplied to the coil antenna 212from the power source 110 via the terminals 216, 218, a field 230 iscreated as the result of shorting the turns with the metal connector 221at the location of the short. The field 230 is defined in the areasurrounded by the turns that are shorted, and the field 230 does nothave a magnetic field strong enough to generate a plasma. In otherwords, the field 230 acts as a buffer for the magnetic field createdinside the dielectric tube 202, dividing the plasma into a first plasmazone 232 and a second plasma zone 234. No plasma is formed in thedielectric tube 202 where the field 230 is formed. The number of shortsand the location can be used to tune the number and location of theplasma zones within the dielectric tube 202. For example, in oneembodiment, a first portion of the coil antenna 212 surrounding thefirst plasma zone 232 has less turns than a second portion of the coilantenna 212 surrounding the second plasma zone 234. More turns means thesecond portion of the coil antenna 212 has a higher inductance, whichalso leads to a denser plasma in the second plasma zone 234. In order toefficiently cool the coil antenna 212, a coolant may be flowed throughthe coil antenna 212 from the bottom to the top of the coil antenna 212,such as from the second portion surrounding the second plasma zone 234to the first portion surrounding the first plasma zone 232. In someembodiments, the number of turns for both the first and second portionsof the coil antenna 212 is the same. In some embodiments, the number ofturns surrounding the first plasma zone 232 is greater than the numberof turns surrounding the second plasma zone 234. In some embodiments,two turns are connected in a first pair with a first metal connector 221at a first location on the coil antenna 212, and two other turns areconnected in a second pair with a second metal connector 221 at a secondlocation, different from the first location, on the coil antenna 212 inorder to create three plasma zones. More plasma zones may be formed byconnecting more pairs of turns. Compounds flow through the plasma zonesin cascades, and the resident time is a function of the number of zones.

With more than one plasma zone inside the dielectric tube 202, thetemperature within the dielectric tube 202 may vary based on thelocation. For example, in one embodiment, the temperature at the firststraight end portion 208 during processing may be about 40 degreesCelsius, and the temperature at the second straight end portion 210during processing may be about 120 degrees Celsius. The large differencein temperature within the dielectric tube 202 causes the dielectric tube202 to have large differences in temperature at different locations.Different temperatures at different locations of the dielectric tube 202impose a thermal stress on the dielectric tube 202, which can lead tocracking of the dielectric tube 202. In order to prevent the dielectrictube 202 from cracking, the dielectric tube 202 may be made of aluminumnitride. Aluminum nitride has a thermal conductivity of up to 285 W/m*K,compare to aluminum oxide, a material conventionally used for thedielectric tube, which has a thermal conductivity of up to 30 W/m*K.High thermal conductivity of aluminum nitride reduces temperaturegradients in the dielectric tube 202, reduces stresses on the dielectrictube 202, and prevents breakage of the dielectric tube 202.

Additionally, by using the dielectric tube 202 made of aluminum nitride,an unexpected result of a reduction in discharge voltage is achieved. Insome embodiments, the discharge voltage of the plasma source 100including the dielectric tube 202 made of aluminum nitride is about 20percent less than the discharge voltage of a plasma source including adielectric tube made of aluminum oxide. Other properties, such asdielectric constant and loss tangent, of aluminum nitride are similar tothose of aluminum oxide. Lowered discharge voltage would be advantageousin lowering capacitive-coupling driven erosion of the dielectric tube202 by corrosive species, such as fluorine, chlorine, hydrogen, etc.

Other materials, such as quartz and sapphire, may be used for thedielectric tube 202. Quartz and sapphire both have higher thermalconductivities than the thermal conductivity of aluminum oxide, but lessthan the thermal conductivity of aluminum nitride. In addition, quartzand sapphire may not be suitable for certain chemistry since quartz andsapphire are not as resistant to a specific chemistry as aluminumnitride. Sapphire may be used with fluorine based chemistry but notchlorine based chemistry. Quartz may be used with oxygen or chlorinebased chemistry but not fluorine based chemistry. Aluminum nitride maybe used in any chemistry.

In some embodiments, a deformable layer 214 may be disposed between thecoil antenna 212 and the dielectric tube 202 to ensure a good thermalconduction path between the coil antenna 212 and the dielectric tube202. Good thermal conduction path between the coil antenna 212 and thedielectric tube 202 helps cool the dielectric tube 202 since the coilantenna 212 may have a coolant flowing therethrough. The deformablelayer 214 may be made of an electrically insulating and thermallyconductive material, such as silicon rubber.

To maintain spacing of the turns 213 of the coil antenna 212, a pottingmaterial 220 may be utilized to surround the coil antenna 212. Thepotting material 220 may be made of an electrically insulating andthermally conductive material. The potting material 220 may alsotransfer heat from the dielectric tube 202 to the coolant flowthroughthe coil antenna 212. The terminals 216, 215 a, 215 b, 218, and themetal connector 221 may be exposed and not covered by the pottingmaterial 220. In some embodiments, a cover 222 may be disposed aroundthe potting material 220. The cover 222 may be a thin plastic material,such as polycarbonate.

A first flange 224 and a second flange 226 may be provided at respectiveends of the dielectric tube 202 to facilitate coupling the plasma source100 with conduits, such as the foreline 192 and the exhaust conduit 194.A seal 228, such as an O-ring, may be provided between the respectivefirst and second flanges 224, 226 and the straight end portions 208,210, respectively. In some embodiments, at least one of the first andsecond flanges 224, 226 may be cooled. For example, a coolant channel242 may be provided in the first and second flanges 224, 226 tofacilitate circulating a coolant therethrough.

FIG. 2B is a cross sectional side view of the plasma source 100 of FIG.1, according to another embodiment described herein. As shown in FIG.2B, the plasma source 100 includes a dielectric tube 250 having an innervolume 252 and a coil antenna 254 surrounding the dielectric tube 250 toinductively couple RF energy into the inner volume 252 during processingto excite compounds traveling therethrough. The dielectric tube 250 mayhave a cylindrical side wall 256 that terminates with a first endportion 258 and a second end portion 260. The cylindrical side wall 256may be substantially parallel to a central axis 262 of the dielectrictube 250. The end portions 258, 260 may serve the same purpose as thestraight end portions 208, 210 shown in FIG. 2A. The dielectric tube 250may be made of the same material and may have the same thickness as thedielectric tube 202.

The coil antenna 254 may include a plurality of turns 264 and may besimilar to the coil antenna 212, except that the coil antenna 254 has acylindrical shape while the coil antenna 212 has a conical shape. Theone or more terminals 216 may be disposed at a first end 266 of the coilantenna 254 to facilitate coupling RF power to the coil antenna 254. Theone or more second terminals 218 may be disposed at a second end 268 ofthe coil antenna 254 to facilitate coupling RF power to the coil antenna254. The second terminals 218 may be also coupled to ground, or anotherreference potential. In one embodiment, the first terminals 216 and thesecond terminals 218 are connected to the power source 110. The thirdterminal 215 a may be connected to a turn of the coil antenna 254, suchas the 10^(th) turn, and the fourth terminal 215 b may be connected toanother turn of the coil antenna 254, such as the 12^(th) turn. Themetal connector 221 may be connected to the third terminal 215 a and thefourth terminal 215 b in order to short two turns (first turn between10^(th) and 11^(th) turns and second turn between 11^(th) and 12^(th)turns). The third terminal 215 a, the fourth terminal 215 b, and themetal connector 221 are used to short one or more turns of the coilantenna 254. Other methods and devices may be used to short one or moreturns. A field 270, a first plasma zone 272, and a second plasma zone274 may be formed by the same method for forming the field 230, thefirst plasma zone 232, and the second plasma zone 234 shown in FIG. 2A.

In some embodiments, a deformable layer 276 may be disposed between thecoil antenna 254 and the dielectric tube 250 to ensure a good thermalconduction path between the coil antenna 254 and the dielectric tube250. The deformable layer 276 may be made of the same material as thedeformable layer 214. The plasma source 100 having the dielectric tube250 may also include the potting material 220, the cover 222, the firstflange 224, the second flange 226, coolant channels 242, and seals 228.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the coil antenna 212 according toembodiments described herein. FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment withnon-adjacent turns shorted. As shown in FIG. 3, the third terminal 215a, the fourth terminal 215 b, and the metal connector 221 may be used toshort two turns 213 a, 213 b. As shown in FIG. 3, the turns 213 a and213 b have a turn between them, so the turns 213 a and 213 b are notadjacent. Again any one or more pairs of turns of the coil antenna 212may be connected with an electrical grade conductive material in orderto reduce the inductance of the coil antenna 212. The coil antenna 212may also include a coolant inlet 302 and a coolant outlet 304 forflowing a coolant into and out of the coil antenna 212. A coolant source(not shown) may be coupled to the coil antenna 212. In some embodiments,the coil antenna may be cylindrical, such as the coil antenna 254.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the coil antenna 212 according toanother embodiment described herein. As shown in FIG. 4, the coilantenna 212 may include terminals 415 a, 415 b disposed on turns 413 a,413 b, respectively. A metal connector 421 may be electrically coupledto the terminals 415 a, 415 b in order to short three turns of the coilantenna 212 (three turns between turns 413 a and 413 b). In someembodiments, terminals 435 a, 435 b may be disposed on adjacent turns433 a, 433 b, respectively. A metal connector 441 may be electricallycoupled to the terminals 435 a, 435 b in order to short one turn of thecoil antenna 212 (one turn between turns 433 a and 433 b). The terminals415 a, 415 b, 435 a, 435 b may be made of the same material as theterminals 215 a, 215 b, and the metal connectors 421, 441 may be made ofthe same material as the metal connector 221. As shown in FIG. 4, coilantenna 212 includes two pairs of turns that are connected by anelectrical grade conductive material at different locations of the coilantenna 212, which leads to three plasma zones within the dielectrictube 202. In some embodiments, coil antenna 212 includes one pair ofturns that are connected by an electrical grade conductive material,such as turns 413 a, 413 b connected by the metal connector 421, orturns 435 a, 435 b connected by the metal connector 441. In someembodiments, the coil antenna may be cylindrical, such as the coilantenna 254.

A plasma source having a coil antenna and a dielectric tube isdisclosed. The coil antenna has a plurality of turns and at least twoturns are shorted in order to reduce the inductance of the coil antenna.Reduced inductance leads to higher power supplied to the coil antenna,which improves DRE in abatement process.

Alternatively, the plasma source may be used as a remote plasma sourceupstream of a vacuum processing chamber for providing a remote plasmainto the vacuum processing chamber. In this application the gasesintroduced into the plasma source and the exhaust is a plasma havingions and/or radicals, such as processing species or cleaning species,that are used for processing inside the vacuum processing chamber.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

1. A plasma source, comprising: a dielectric tube; a coil antennasurrounding the dielectric tube, wherein the coil antenna comprises aplurality of turns having a first group of turns, a second group ofturns, and a third group of turns; and a first electrically conductiveconnector connected to a first pair of turns of the second group ofturns, wherein first metal connector is configured to form a bufferfield separating a first plasma zone from a second plasma zone.
 2. Theplasma source of claim 1, wherein the first pair of turns comprises twoadjacent turns.
 3. The plasma source of claim 1, wherein the first pairof turns comprises two turns, wherein one or more turns of the pluralityof turns are located between the two turns.
 4. The plasma source ofclaim 1, further comprising a second electrically conductive connectorconnecting a second pair of turns of the first group of turns.
 5. Theplasma source of claim 1, wherein the dielectric tube comprises aluminumnitride, sapphire, or quartz.
 6. The plasma source of claim 1, whereinthe coil antenna is hollow and further comprises a coolant inlet and acoolant outlet.
 7. An abatement system comprising a power source and theplasma source of claim
 1. 8. A plasma source, comprising: a dielectrictube; a coil antenna surrounding the dielectric tube, wherein the coilantenna comprises a plurality of turns; a first terminal connected to afirst turn of the plurality of turns; a second terminal connected to asecond turn of the plurality of turns; and a first electricallyconductive connector connected to the first terminal and the secondterminal, wherein first electrically conductive connector is configuredto form a buffer field separating a first plasma zone from a secondplasma zone.
 9. The plasma source of claim 8, wherein the first turn ofthe plurality of turns is adjacent to the second turn of the pluralityof turns.
 10. The plasma source of claim 8, wherein one or more turns ofthe plurality of turns are located between the first turn of theplurality of turns and the second turn of the plurality of turns. 11.The plasma source of claim 8, wherein the dielectric tube comprisesaluminum nitride, sapphire, or quartz.
 12. The plasma source of claim 8,further comprising: a third terminal connected to a third turn of theplurality of turns; a fourth terminal connected to a fourth turn of theplurality of turns; and a second electrically conductive connectorconnected to the third terminal and the fourth terminal.
 13. The plasmasource of claim 12, wherein the second electrically conductive connectorcomprises copper, aluminum, or brass.
 14. The plasma source of claim 8,wherein the coil antenna is hollow and further comprises a coolant inletand a coolant outlet.
 15. An abatement system comprising a power sourceand the plasma source of claim
 8. 16. A plasma source, comprising: adielectric tube; and a coil antenna surrounding the dielectric tube,wherein the coil antenna is configured to form two or more distinctplasma zones in the dielectric tube.
 17. The plasma source of claim 16,wherein the coil antenna comprises a plurality of turns.
 18. The plasmasource of claim 17, wherein the plurality of turns comprises a firstportion surrounding a first plasma zone of the two or more plasma zonesand a second portion surrounding a second plasma zone of the two or moreplasma zones.
 19. The plasma source of claim 18, wherein the pluralityof turns further comprises a third portion located between the firstportion and the second portion.
 20. An abatement system comprising apower source and the plasma source of claim 16.